What type of medical benefits am I entitled to after I’m injured?

FAQ,Personal Injury,Union,Work Injury,Workers' Compensation - March 28, 2024 by Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates

Marc A. Perper, a principal partner and lead trial attorney at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates answers a listener’s question on Free Legal Advice Friday’s:

What type of medical benefits am I entitled to after I’m injured?

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Law entitles you to emergency treatment, plus treatment from the first two medical providers of your choice.

That actually means, potentially, more than two medical providers.
The reason is, if a doctor or a provider refers you to another provider that doesn’t count as a new choice.
So you’re entitled to any doctor of your choice plus any number of doctors to whom you might be referred within that chain of referrals. And in addition, an entirely separate choice of doctor plus any number of providers to whom your referred in that second chain of referrals.
If you have a compensable workers’ compensation case, your employer or its insurance company has to pay for all that treatment subject to reasonableness, necessity, and causality.
That means your medical treatment has to be reasonable and necessary to cure or relieve the effects of the injury, and it has to be related to the injury.
If you choose another doctor outside those first two referral chains and it’s not emergency room treatment, the employer does not have to pay.Clifford W. Horwitz answers the Free Legal Advice Friday listener’s question: what’s the first thing I should when I get hurt?

CBS Chicago Free Legal Advice Fridays

Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates sponsors and provides content for Free Legal Advice on CBSChicago.com.
CBS Radio listeners are invited to submit legal questions to Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates.
The Chicago personal injury lawyers, Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers, and Chicago nursing home neglect lawyers, at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates are ready to hear your questions regarding these matters.